Emergency evacuations as floods continue in several locations in Sarawak

EMERGENCY evacuations of stranded folks in villages, in longhouses and students in inundated schools are on the rise as torrential rains continue causing floods in numerous central Sarawak districts.

The badly hit districts are Sibu, Kapit, Song, Kanowit and Tatau in central Sarawak.

Reports from the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department and the Civil Defence Unit revealed that rescue personnel in these districts were constantly responding to distress calls.

The commercial areas in the towns of Sibu, Song and Kanowit were also partially flooded, resulting in shops being forced to close.

Travel along the highways leading from Sibu to Kanowit was also disrupted after floods inundated the trunk road, causing commuters to be stranded.

Rescue teams are evacuating residents from longhouses, especially populated ones such as Rumah Jarop, Rumah John and Rumah Emperan in the Song district.

Numerous schools in Tatau district were also flooded, with rescue teams reaching the students using boats to evacuate them to safety.

Those students who had been evacuated are from SK Muput and SK Nanga Tau.

"We are responding to numerous calls for help from people in the flooded areas.

"Our rescue units are already deployed in several locations," said the Sarawak Fire and Rescue Department central operations centre in Kuching.  – March 21, 2025